Justice Watch | An Alliance for Justice blog tracking the latest developments in the fight for a fair America

Senate Confirms Two District Court Nominees

Yesterday the Senate confirmed two long-obstructed district court nominees, Benita Pearson and William Martinez.After the Senate vote, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) remarked that “The obstruction of these district court nominations is unprecedented, a sign that a different standard is being applied to President Obama’s nominees that has never before been applied to the nominees of any President, Democratic or Republican…. It is time for the Senate to act on the dozens of judicial nominees that have been kept from final consideration before we adjourn. A number of those nominations were reported unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee.”

Twenty-four judicial nominations are still awaiting final confirmation votes. Eighteen of the nominations were reported by the Judiciary Committee unanimously. Two additional nominations received the support from a majority of Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee. Of the 24 nominations pending, 14 of them are to fill vacancies designated as “judicial emergencies” by the nonpartisan Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.